Page 59 of Pieces of Ash

I look up as Noelle opens her arms, and Ashley seems lost for a moment before realizing that Noelle wants to hug her. She puts the stack of plates on the table, steps forward into my sister’s arms, and hugs her back.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” says Ashley.

Noelle nods, pulling away. “For sure. Night, Ashley. Thanks for the awesome stories!”

“Anytime,” she says, picking up the plates. Her eyes land on mine.

“Good night,” I say, holding her gaze in the candlelight before she turns away, walks back up to the house, and disappears into the kitchen.

As soon as she’s out of sight, Noelle looks at me with huge eyes. I can feel my sister’s energy building, like a mega-wave coming at me from a distance, getting closer and closer, bigger and bigger, the funnel widening to the height of a fully grown man until she blurts out.

“OH. MY. GOD!”

She whispers so loud, my head whips toward the house to see if Ashley is listening.

“Noelle—”

“She wassonice! And she’ssopretty! Don’t you think she’s pretty? Oh my god, and she’sTig’s sister! Tig! Thesupermodel! Holy cow! Her life was so glamorous, wasn’t it? JULES! She’s making dinner for us tomorrow night! Oh my god! SAY SOMETHING!”

The answers to her questions are no and no.

No, she’s not pretty. She’sgorgeous.

And no, her life wasn’t glamorous. Growing up with a junkie sister before being shipped off to Catholic boarding school? Doesn’t sound so great to me, honestly. Sounds like a little bit of a mind fuck.

But I will say this. her life has aged her, maturity-wise. She’s only eighteen, and yet she speaks, thinks, and carries herself like someone years older. My sister is twenty, and she’s much younger in many ways. As evidenced by her next question…

“Are youtotallygoing to ask her out?”

“No.”

“What?” Noelle climbs up on the bench next to me and sits on the table, frowning down at me. “What do you mean,no?”

“No, I’m not asking her out.”

“You don’t like her?”

She says this like it is absolutely unthinkable.

“She’s fine,” I answer.

“Fine? She’sbeautifuland like,so nice!”

True. Noelle’s right on both counts…so far.

But my mind flashes back to the way she hedged my final question about where she attended school. Hmm. There’s something going on with Ashley. I don’t know if I believe that she’s only up here grieving out of the public eye. I think there could be more to the story, and until I find out what it is, it would be smart to keep my distance, no matter what my cock wants.

I cross my arms over my chest and give my sister a look. “Did you know Parker was cheating on you in Barcelona?”

Hurt dusts over her features, and I’m sorry, but only a little bit. I need to make a point that my sweet little sister will understand.

“No.”

“When he left, did you expect him to be faithful?”

“Yes,” she says, lifting her chin.

“So would it be safe to say he deceived you?”